206 
Mr. Home’s Observations on 
Whether the sense of taste is confined entirely to the point 
of the tongue, and the other parts are made up of muscles fitted 
for giving it motion ; or whether the whole tongue is to be 
considered as the organ, and the soft matter which pervades its 
substance, and fills the interstices between the fasciculi of mus- 
cular fibres, is to be considered as connected with sensation, has 
not, I believe, been ascertained. 
The tongue, throughout its substance, has always been con- 
sidered by physiologists as a very delicate organ ; and it was 
believed, that any injury committed upon it would not only 
produce great local irritation, but also affect, in a violent degree, 
the general system of the body. This was my own opinion, till 
I met with the following case, the circumstances of which in- 
duced me to see this organ in a different point of view. 
A gentleman, by an accident which it is unnecessary to de- 
scribe, had his tongue bitten with great violence The immediate 
effect of the injury was great local pain ; but it was not attended 
with much swelling of the tongue itself, nor any other symptom, 
except that the point of the tongue entirely lost its sensibility, 
which deprived it of the power of taste : whatever substance the 
patient eat was equally insipid. This alarmed him very much, 
and induced him to state to me the circumstances of his case, 
and request my opinion. I examined the tongue, a fortnight after 
the accident. It had the natural appearance, but the tip was com- 
pletely insensible, and was like a piece of board in his mouth, 
rendering the act of eating a very unpleasant operation. I saw 
him three months afterwards, and it was still in nearly the 
same state. 
From this case it appears, that the tongue itself is not par- 
ticularly irritable ; but the nerves passing through its substance 
